“Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) shoots a free-throw during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014. Bryant passed Michael Jordan on the NBA all-time scoring list by making the shot. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt)”
CHICAGO — Kobe Bryant will sit out of the Lakers’ Christmas Day game against the Chicago Bulls at United Center, the Lakers’ star attributing “old age” and soreness.
Although Bryant reported “getting better” after sitting out of the Lakers’ win on Tuesday against Golden State, the Lakers’ star reported still feeling sore in his knees, both Achilles tendons and metatarsals as well as back tightness.
“I just need to kind of hit the reset button,” Bryant said beforehand. “What happens is my body realizes how messed up it is. Then everything starts hurting. It’s an opportunity to treat everything.
Bryant also added that it’s “slim” he will play in Friday’s game in Dallas, though he will still travel with the team to continue receiving treatment. That included spending 90 minutes with Lakers’ physical therapist Judy Seto during the team’s morning shootaround on Thursday.
Scott admitted that he felt “surprised” that Bryant would not feel good enough to play against the Bulls. Scott said in definitive terms following the Lakers’ win on Tuesday over Golden State that Bryant would play against Chicago. But Scott decided otherwise after Bryant continuously reported feeling sore.
“I didn’t get any resistance from Kobe,” Scott said. “He told me, which I thought was great, that he’s going to let me decide and he’ll tell me how he feels.”
Bryant’s absence in Chicago also seemed unexpected considering the game represented one of the marquee Christmas Day matchups shown on national television.
“I feel an obligation to play if I’m at the YMCA,” Bryant said. “I think it’s important just from a fan perspective to be able to see the top players play.”
Yet, Bryant said he had to approach his return without those concerns in mind.
“It’s extremely difficult, especially playing here playing on Christmas day and playing in this city,” Bryant said. “I love playing here. I think the fans have always been great and there’s a lot of energy in the building. At the same time, I got to try to be smart. It’s really going against my nature. But I have to be smart about this.”
Scott has tried taking a conservative approach with Bryant following Sunday’s loss in Sacramento where he posted 25 points on eight-of-30 shooting and nine turnovers. Although Bryant’s 24.6 points per game average ranks third in the NBA, he has shot a career-low 37.2 percent from the field. In the previous five games, Bryant had also averaged 20.3 points on a 28.3 percent clip.
Scott said he plans to trim Bryant’s minutes to 32-33 without playing him for full quarters. Scott said he’s “very confident” Bryant will restore his play. But he and Bryant have not discussed specifics yet regarding his playing time and his role.
“I think it’s one of those slow processes,” Scott said. “He’s put his body through a lot. I don’t think any of us will try to rush him back. We’ll go by what he says and then go from there.”
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